Potato-chip-frying machine



vDec. 30, 1924.

E. A. DENZ PoTATo CHIP FRYING MACHINE Filed Dec. 3, 1923 Patented Dec. 30, v1924.

UNITED STATES 1,520,860 PATENT OFFICE. l

EMIL A. D ENZ, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

POTATO-CHIP-FRYING MACHINE.

Application lled December 3, 1923. Serial No. 678,356.. I

To all whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, EMIL A. DENZ, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county' of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Potato-Chip-Frying Machines, of which the following is a specification.

The objects of this invention are to provide a machine that will slice and fry potato-chips in a continuous process; to provide such a machine to have a large output; to increase the efficiency of the heating apparatus generally used for such purposes;

" to simplify the arrangement of the operating parts; to provide an improved impeller of greater driving force and which will splash less grease; to provide an elevator which may be conveniently lifted out of the cooking-oil for cleaning; and other objects which will appear' in the following description.

The preferred form of my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings 1n which:

Fig. 1 is a general plan View; and

Fig. 2 is a side elevation.

The body of the machine comprises a tank 3 ofsheet metal construction and supported by legs 4-4. 'A bottom or horizontal partition 5 is spaced intermediate the upper and lower'edges of the tank 3, forming an inverted heating chamber 6 underneath the bottom. A series of gas burner pipes 7 eX- tend longitudinally throughout the heating chamber, near to the bottom 5. The heating chamber 6 has inlet and cleaning ports' 8 spaced around the side walls.

The exhaust pipe 9 runs through the upper middle part of the heating chamber 6, and has inlets 10 along its length.- Fuel gas is supplied 'to header d'1..

Thefcompartment 12, above the bottom 5, is ypa,rtvitiplied;,of Yby vertical walls into a continuou tortuous channel 13, which is filled up, aboutthe level of the dotted line 14 withfthe 'cooking-oil.' Thecooking-oil is heatedby the flame from the burners 7 and lis causedto circulate by the revolving propeller l'iwhich is rotatably mounted to dip into ythe stream of fiuid and drive the fluid along thechannel 13, passing under the hopper 16, `and around the lchannel to the end of the conveyor 17, and on to theimpeller 15.

A motor 18 is mounted on a shelf 2O which the burner pipes from the.

extends outward from the frame. 21. The

,frame 21 is formed by two angle bars 22 and is attached to one end of the tank 3. The motor is geared to the drive shaft 23, which ismounted in the brackets 24 secured to the angle bars 22, andthe extending portion of the shaft 23 is journaled in the bearings 25 in the frame member 26, which is secured toy the top of the tank 3 at the opposite side from the conveyorl 17. The motor pinion 27 lshaft 23, and the gear 34 on the shaft 32.

The impeller 17 comprises a sheet metal frame 35 which is pivoted at its upper end to the shaft 32, and the lower end rests on the bottom ofthe channel 13. The lower end of 35 carries a roller 36, and the conveyor belt 37 passes around the bottom roller 36 and around the top roller 38 which is on the shaft 32.

The impeller` 15 is driven from the shaft 23 through the bevel pinion 39, on the shaft 23, and the bevel gear 40 which is keyed on the shaft 4l which is mounted in the bracket 42. The bracket 42 is removably secured on the top of the tank 3. The impeller shaft 44 is driven from the'shaft 41 through the chain connection 43. The impeller -15 is built u of disk shaped side plates 45 connected y narrow peripheral vanes 46 which are set to curve forwardly.

The hopper 16 is circular and is removably secured on the top of the tank 3. The hopper 16 has a sloping bottom 47 which converges into the bottom opening 48, 1ocated-directly over the channel 13. The cutter or` Slicer disk 49 is mounted for horizontal rotation directly below the opening 48, and 49 has its bearings in the frame member 26. The cutter disk 49 is -driven by a gear connection from the shaft 50, Which, in turn, is geared to the drive shaft 23 through the gears 51 and 52.

lThe cutter disk carries two or more slicer knives 53, which have their edges set radially to the axis of the disk 49. Cutter bars 54 are provided, across the bottom opening 48, which lie at a tangential angle to the spindle ofthe disk 49, to form a shearing angle Vwith the knife edges of 53. y

The arrangement just described permits ofa symmetrical construction of the cutter disk 49 because'the knives 53 areoppositely disposed and therefore balance each other.

The pared potatoes are dumped into the hopper 16 which is of suiicient capacity to supply the machine for a long period of time. rI he plurality of cutting ars 54 furnishes several edges against which the knives 53 operate to slice the potatoes. In the usual typeof Slicer the cutting knife o erates against only one stationary edge.

uch sliccrs are designed to operate on an integral piece of material; while with pieces of small weight, a single blade cutter has to operate at a high rate of speed to shear oif whole slices, especially when there are not many potatoes in the hopper to weight the bottom layer. Therefore the cutter- 49 having a plurality of knives `53 operating against a plurality of bars 54, cuts off larger slices and may operate at a lower rate.l

The timin relation between the cutter action and t e flow of the stream inthe channel 13, is such that a layer of slices is deposited evenly over the surface -of the li uid and just has sucient time to flow out Io. the wa pf the next layer sliced off by the succee ing knife. This greatly increases the out ut of the machine.

The opper 16 is readily removedv from the tank leaving the cutter disk 49 accessible for cleaning.

The impeller 15 is of a stable construction and drives the stream with considerable force without the usual amount of splashing.

blades lift out of the liquid, the li uid flowsV olf from the inneredge of the bla es and is not carried over the top of the impeller, As the conveyor belt is travelling over the rollers, it is dipped into the hot grease and i thenvcooledin the atmosphere anda heavy coating quickly forms which collects dust and dirt, necessitating frequent cleaning. By having the conveyor frame pivoted on the upper shaft .32, the lower end of the conveyor may be lifted out and thrown back to `remove the belt or the belt can be easily cleaned in place. v

The heating chamber 6, as described, is closed above and has walls extending downwardly around the sides to retain the heat under the tank bottom 5. Consequently, without some means being providedfor removing, the burnt gases are trapped in the chamber 6. Soot orms rapidly' and even 'clogs up the burner holes so that. a'bar must bepassed through the holes 8 and-the soot rubbed from the vburner pipes 7. By supplying the ventilating duct orexhaust pipe 9 l[ draw the burnt gasesolf from the middle part of the heating chamber 6 and allow fresh air to flow into the chamber to supply Macnee the combustion. This also increases -the efciency of the machine by raising the temperature of the cooking-oil.

Claims:

1. In a potato-chip frying machine; a tank having a horizontal partition wall or bottom located intermediate the Ytop and bottom edges ofthe said tank, forming a cooking-oil receptacle above and an inverted heating chamber below the said bottom; a series of longitudinally extending gas burner pipes in the upper part of the heating chamber; inlet ports along the side walls of the heating chamber; and a perforated exhaust pipe extending longitudinally through the upper middle part of the heating chamber.

2. In a potato chip frying machine, a rectangular tank having a horizontal bottom partition spaced intermediate the upper and lower edges thereof forming a cooking compartment above and a heating vcompartment below the partition, a series of gas burners distributed underneath the bottom, and an exhaust Hue having openings along its length and extending longitudinally underneath the middle portion of the bottom partition.

3. In a potato chip frying machine, a tank` divided into a continuous tortuous channel, an elevator drive shaft mounted above the top of the tank, an elevator frame pivoted on the said shaft and having an end resting on the bottom of the channel, a roller rotatably mounted in the lower end of theV frame, and` an endless elevator belt passing over the shaft and the roller. y

4. In combination in a potato chip frying machine, a rectangular tank, vertical partitions dividing the tank into a continuous tortuous channel a portion of which extends entirely across one end of the tank, a drive shaft extending across the said end and above the top'of the tank, a continuous belt elevatorlocated at one side of the said end and which slopes down into the channel'and is connected for driving with the said drive shaft, a jack' shaft geared to the drive shaft and extending over the top of the -tan'k at the said end and opposite from the elevator, a horizontally mounted slicer having its shaft geared to the said jack shaft, a second jack shaft geared to the drive 'shaft and extending over the top of thc tank at a point between the first mentioned jack shaft and the elevato-r, an impeller mounted in the channel and having its spindle located below the top of the tank, and a ydriving connection between the impeller spindle and the second mentioned jack Shaft. 1 n i l ,5. In combination in a potato chip frying machine, a rectangular tank having a horizontal bottom spaced intermediate the upper and lower edges of the tank, forming a cooking compartment and an inverted heating chamber below the compartment, a. traine mounted at one end and at one side ol. the end of the tank, a. drive shaft mounted in the frame and extending across the end and above the top edge of the tank, a jack shaft geared to the drive shaft and extending over the top of the tank, and an impeller mounted inthetank and having its spindle located below the top edge of the tank, and a driving connection from the jack shat't to the impeller spindle.

6. ln combination in a potato chip frying machine, a rectangular tank, vert-ical partitions dividing the tank into a continuons tortuous channel a portion of which eX- tends across one end of the tank, a frame mounted on the outside of the tank atone side of the said end, a drive shaft mounted in the frame above the top of the tank and extending across the end, a jaok shaft geared to the drive shaftand extending over the top of the tank, a slicing mechanism geared to the jack sha-ft and mounted over the end portion of the channel, a second jack shaft geared'to the drive shaft and extending over the top of the tank and positioned between the first mentioned jack shaft and the frame, an impeller mounted in the channel below the second mentioned jack shaft. and having its `spindle located below the 4top of the tank7 a driving connection from the second mentioned-jack shaft to the spindle, aconveyor having its drive shaft mounted in the trame and geared to the main drive sha-ft mentioned above and having its frame pivoted on the conveyor drive shaft and the lower end of the frame restingon the bottom of the chalinel; and means mounted on the frame for actuating` the main drive shaft.

EMIL A. DENZ. 

